QC Teaching Discussion Forum

Welcome to Fall Quarter QC Teach !

wylda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:12:25 GMT

It's exciting to be starting in again with QC Teach. I'm looking forward to hearing about and participating in the discussions about how to make education better!

When each of you post, we have learned through experience it works best when, on your initial post, you click on NEW TOPIC. For the message subject, put your name. In subsequent posts, go back to your name and add new information. When other participants read you post, they will make comments at that place as well, so the "conversation" about your posts will be easy to follow.

When you read other participants' posts, make your comments on their place.

If you have a question, start another NEW TOPIC and phrase the message subject so as to identify it as a question.

I hope all that makes sense to everyone. If not, or if you have any other questions, post them here, or call me 541-937-3114 or e-mail me at cafferat@msn.com.

Again, welcome to Fall QC Teach!

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Fall 09 QCTeach Options

olsonm — Thur, 05 Nov 2009 20:29:18 GMT

Participants are encouraged to work from these options to plan a study of teaching and learning that will best benefit students' learning gains and teachers' insights about their students.

Forum: General Announcements

Jennifer's Project!

wylda — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:46:34 GMT

Hi Group!

I'm attaching the work Jennifer Scurlock (Hi, Jennifer!) has been doing this summer for her unit on what it means to be an American. It is really exciting stuff, and well worth looking at and perhaps incorporating into your classrooms. Jennifer says she is glad to share, and you can contact her either here or by e-mail for more details.

wylda

Forum: High School Discussion

Me again...!

Molly — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:54:22 GMT

So, I'm finishing up... I have attached my new unit plan. As far as part F "develop & include plans for clear pre- post-measures of student response" that will be explored through student attitudes towards probability before, during, and after unit in students' Learning Logs.

Additionally, how students react to group presentations (will they want to "do more"?) will be another indicator of overall student response.

I hope to use this in the future, and I would absolutely love for anyone else to give it a try, also. I have handouts & lessons for many of the topics & objectives outlined. Don't hesitate to email me if you're interested - I would love the feedback!

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Part D (summary)

Molly — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:37:52 GMT

Through research I have discovered a variety of valuable ideas and strategies that both inform as well as reframe my initial questions. For instance, while I was originally focused upon finding manipulatives as my primary goal in teaching this unit, I am now leaning more toward the humanities/socio-cultural relevance that is, for me, a more natural mode from which to operate as an educator.

In a nutshell, this is my new plan: I will use manipulatives early on in my unit, in order to introduce the topic, and to give students multi-sensory opportunities from which to understand the basics of probability.

Throughout this unit, I plan to use learning logs, both to help students reestablish & reevaluate their understandings, as well as to inform my teaching - what needs more time, what is well-established, as well as some valuable formative assessments.

Finally, this unit will culminate with small-group work, similar to literature circles used in other subjects. Instead of choosing a book, however, students will be given culturally relevant options to further investigate. Their preferences (as well as their ability levels, personality characteristics, etc.) will determine these small groups. The research leads me to believe that students choice & innate interests in different investigative/exploratory topics will build motivation, and correspondingly, motivation.

I have high hopes for this unit. Now the real challenge is actually designing it. Please, any and all comments are appreciated, and again, I apologize for the sudden inundation of posts!

Molly

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Probability: Parts A-C & Original Unit

Molly — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:58:57 GMT

I'm still (kind of) synthesizing my findings & strategies (Part D), but I wanted to get some of my stuff posted. So, as follows, my original unit plan (which is straight out of the book), and Parts A-C of Phase III.

Molly

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Manipulatives

Molly — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:09:07 GMT

I found this super duper chart in the NCTM publication"Empowering the Beginning Teacher of Mathematics in Middle School" (2004) in an article titled "Maximizing Manipulatives" by Thomasenia Lott Adams (page 24). I have included it as an attachment because it covers a lot of different subject areas. For more specifics, you'd still need to look that up, but this just seemed really useful to me, so I'm sharing it with you all. I hope I don't get sued for copyright infringement...

Actually, is there a risk of that? If anyone knows definitively, please let me know and I'll take it down

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Ann and Ken's Unit Plan

annbrentmar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:19:37 GMT

Forum: Middle School Discussion

End of Quarter

wylda — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:33:01 GMT

Hi Group,

In case you didn't receive my e-mail, this is just a reminder that the end of the quarter is fast approaching, believe it or not. Please send me your time-sheets by the 16th as Marilyn needs to turn in for credit by the 18th. I'll be out of town backpacking (leaving in a few minutes) but will be home by the 14th.

wylda

Forum: High School Discussion

Solving Equations: Parts A-D and first half of part E

marykadams — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:26:45 GMT

The first document addresses parts A-D from our syllabus. Megan, I liked how you formatted your work so I did a similar formatting. Thank for the clear organized set-up! The next document is my original unit plan. I am still working on my new unit plan and will post that this week.

Mary

Forum: Middle School Discussion

VSOL Project

jacobakin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:08:20 GMT

After much deliberation I have figured out how I am going to incorporate the VSOL into my end of term project. This project, in large part, is a response to the problems that I have had trying to understand a pragmatic approach for their (VSOL) use in the classroom. Though, I do not want to say that I will be writing a how to manual, I will be giving exhaustive detail of how the VSOL are to be incorporated in the classroom by the students as well as the teacher. The use of the VSOL in the classroom will be tracked through a unit plan of my creation. The purpose of this paper is to give practitioners a real world example of how the VSOL can be used in the classroom setting.

My Project in a very small nutshell

1. Finish Unit Plan

2. VSOL for Teachers

Teachers need to systematically assess where students are in regards to the VSOL. In order for this to be accomplished teachers need to have a firm understanding of the five vital signs and be able to apply this knowledge in writing questions that tests the five vital signs.

Statistical modeling: It is the task of teachers to keep record of student performance in regards of the VSOL. The way that this can be done in a relatively easy way is through graphic modeling provided by EXCEL. Records have to be kept in order for students and teachers to understand where the students are with the Vital Signs, i.e. learning.

It is the primary task of the practitioner to prescribe instruction that is appropriate for the specific vital sign. A strong knowledge of differentiation needs to be practiced in order to affectively use the data provided by vital signs assessment.

3. VSOL for students

Students need to learn the language of the VSOL in order for them to successfully be in control of their own learning experience.

In order for the VSOL to have dynamacy in the classroom students need to reach automacy with their use.

Forum: High School Discussion

Freshmen Language Arts: Book List

jacobakin — Thur, 30 Jul 2009 23:56:36 GMT

After much thought I have finalized my Freshmen Literature list, except for my Poetry Unit. There will be five novels and four short stories. I have yet to make formal unit plans, but I have some tentative ideas which will follow.

1. I am going to start the year using short stories: "There Will Come Soft Rains" (Bradbury); "Secret Life of Water Mitty" (Thurber); "Eveline" (Joyce.) I will be starting with these as a way to introduce close reading techniques, inference building, and argument construction. I have chosen to start with short stories as they are shorter, concise, and non-threatening to students.

Following each story, a Vital Sign assessment will be given. As this beginning unit will last a month it allows me to get a strong understanding of where my students are in terms of their Vitals. The Vital Signs, following the unit, will be analyzed closely to determine where the students are. This final collation will form the basis for the differentiation that will take place as the class moves on to the novels.

2. The following works will be read in this order: To kill a Mockingbird (Lee); Catcher in the Rye (Salinger); The Pearl (Steinbeck.) One way that these novels (The Pearl is really a short story!) will be read is through the lens of morality. Catcher will provide a counter-point to this, with the travails of Holden.

This will take me to Christmas Break.

3. January will begin a combined Shakespeare and Poetry Unit. We will be reading Romeo and Juliet. The poetry read and studied will primarily be Elizabethan. However, the major sonnet forms and meter will be studied.

4. The final unit will consist of two novels that explore the themes of problems with civilization. The unit will start with Lord of the Flies (Golding) and end with Animal Farm (Orwell.)

There is still much work to do. I still need work out the ways that I will be incorporating a systematic approach and use of the Vital Signs. More to come!

Forum: High School Discussion

Revamping my Linear Relationships Unit

megana — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:44:40 GMT

Hi all,
I have been teaching Connected Math (CMP) at Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove for 3 years. I have decided to look more closely at the first unit we teach in 8th grade about Linear Relationships in particular because it is the first time my students attempt to solve an equation using the traditional Algebra method (CMP calls it the Symbolic Method). In addition to the struggles of this being the first unit of the year, moving in to the abstract is difficult for many of my students. I've been trying to find ideas about how to make the process a bit easier for them. I also have a lot of pedagogy I think about on a regular basis, so those are pretty wrapped up in my guiding questions:
1)    What are successful ways to teach solving linear equations?
2)    What can I do to motivate students to do their homework?
3)    How do I grade homework effectively?
4)    How can I get my students to see that they are all capable of being successful in math?
5)    How does parent involvement affect student performance?
6)    How can I provide my students with effective assessments and feedback with a reasonable amount of work on my part?

I welcome any imput, ideas, questions, etc.!

Megan

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Ann and Ken Collaborate!

kennykeyboards — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:27:58 GMT

Hi everyone, Ann Brentmar and Ken Silverman announce their collaboration for the Summer Term Project in QC Teach: Integrated Curriculum: Work on fractions, decimals and rational numbers, linear measurements, applications to surface area and volume in the context of designing and building a small greenhouse! We are looking forward to sharing our project with you all!

Ken and Ann

Forum: Middle School Discussion

Laws of Exponents

marykadams — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:40:22 GMT

Hi All,

I have been doing some work at home and going over my algebra curriculum for next year in terms of what students struggle with most. Having looked at the different standards and lessons, I think I would like to focus on the laws of exponents. The students always get the laws mixed-up and confused. I believe it even begins before the formal laws in which students in pre-algebra and before get confused when adding like terms... is 3x + 2x equal to 5x or 5x squared? This may be where their troubles begin. So I am hoping to use this as an area of study and refinement for the summer. Let me know what you guys think and where we should post this... on the middle school or high school page. It fits in both categories.

Forum: High School Discussion